The last time there was a new studio album from German headbangers Accept, it was 1996, and heavy metal was quite possibly at an all-time low — completely ignored by MTV (Headbanger’s Ball was off the air), and forget about radio. But the album in question, Predator, did include longtime members Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffman, and bassist Peter Baltes. Fast forward ten years, and vintage metal was in a much healthier and happier state, with bands from the ’80s experiencing an undeniable resurgence in popularity. So what better time for Accept to dust off their Flying V’s and rock once more? Only one catch — Udo declined the reunion this time around. Undeterred, Hoffman and Baltes decided to soldier on, re-enlisting former Accept guitarist Herman Frank (who left the group in 1984), drummer Stefan Schwarzmann, and former T.T. Quick singer Mark Tornillo. The “new look Accept” issued their first studio album in 14 years in 2010, Blood of the Nations, and musically, the group has created an album that certainly measures up well to their early- and mid-’80s glory days. Vocally, hearing anyone besides Udo in Accept will take some time to get used to — especially for long-time fans — but hang in there, and you’ll discover that Tornillo is certainly a worthy replacement. “Tough and heavy” is a straight-to-the-point description of such tunes as the ass-kicking album-opener “Beat the Bastards,” as well as “Teutonic Terror” and the heavy duty title track. Producer Andy Sneap (known for working with the heaviest of heavy metal bands) successfully brings Accept sonically back to the metallic roar of their glory days throughout Blood of the Nations, resulting in an impressive return of Germany’s second best-known heavy metal export of all time. – Greg Prato